Celebrate Earth Day with 3 Upcycled Recipes

5+ Ways with Citrus Peels

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Citrus Extract: If you have a juicer, here’s how to make fresh, concentrated, alcohol-free citrus “extract.” First: Wash, peel, and juice your oranges (or any citrus). Enjoy this juice as a healthy, natural beverage. Next: Before cleaning and putting away your juicer, juice all your citrus peels separately. This extract, which can be enjoyed fresh or frozen, is pure and natural and can be used for so many things it may blow your mind. Here are just a few ideas: Baking, frostings, added to an apple “bath” (to prevent browning), vinaigrettes, marinades, glazes, and citrus salts (just grind peels and salt in a spice grinder). Peels from 20 oranges yield ~ 3 ounces of extract.

Citrus Gummies: Cut peels to your desired shapes and sizes and place in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add sugar (raw sugar is great) to cover. Then, cover with enough water just until it looks like wet sand. Turn heat on medium-high and stir until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to low and simmer until peelings are translucent. Pour off the sugar sugar-syrup through a strainer — save the syrup for baking or another use (drinks!) and place the peels on a cooling rack.

Candied Peels: Toss the gummies in sugar, place back on the cooling rack, and bake in a warm (180°F-200°F) oven until dry (30-45 minutes). Use for garnishing, dipping in chocolate, etc.

Citrus-Infused Seafood or Poultry: If you don’t want to take the time to make candy, take the fresh peels and smother you favorite seafood filet or poultry just before making them in the oven for a sweet citrus flavor essence.

Non-Culinary Uses: What’s that? You don’t eat seafood or poultry? Dry your peels out with a heat source — you can even use the sun! After they are completely dry, grind them in your food processor and use the ground meal as a snail/slug deterrent in the garden, or spread it around your car’s floor before vacuuming it out.

SOURCE: Executive Chef/Manager Paul Lieggi, Mt. Angel Abbey

Chilled Broccoli Salad

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Here’s a great way to use the stems from those imperfectly delicious (“ugly”) broccoli heads! (Use the florets as you normally would, in a main or a vegetable side.)

Trim and scrub the carrots. Roughly chop the tender parts of the carrot greens. Soak the greens in a large bowl of cold, salted water to remove any dirt or sand. Lift out, drain, and repeat in fresh cold, salted water until tops are very clean. Drain well and pat dry.

Cut the carrots (no need to peel them!) into rustic, one-inch pieces. In a large bowl, toss the carrots with half the olive oil. Season with the salt and pepper. Transfer to sheet pans (divide among multiple pans, if necessary) and spread in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes.

Return the carrots to the mixing bowl. Add the cumin seeds and maple syrup. Toss well and return to the sheet pans. Roast for 10 to 15 minutes longer, until the edges are caramelized and the carrots are just tender. (Don’t let them burn!) Cool to room temperature.

In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, orange juice, zest, and garlic. Whisk in the remaining olive oil to make a simple vinaigrette. Place all the greens, including the carrot tops, in a large bowl and add the carrots, cranberries, both cheeses, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and the vinaigrette. Adjust the seasoning and toss well. Serve.

*Substitute an equal amount of additional arugula for the dandelion greens, if desired.

SOURCE: Executive Chef Patrick Elroy, Washington University in St. Louis